Capturing a sustainable knitwear brand in a small studio in Scotland.
After being hidden away in a flat in Edinburgh under a mountain of editing, I was pleased to be taking in some sweet views on the train down to the Borders. One of the things I like so much about making films, is getting to immerse myself in someone else’s world for a few days and this project was going to be one of those sorts.
I met Flora at the station and we headed to her home and characterful studio. Piles of scarves and jumpers in an array of jazzy colours, sat beside sturdy knitting machines and tiny cowry shells collected from the Hebrides. Photos, postcards, boxes of wool and in amongst it all a small, blonde, curly haired pooch, by the name of Leni, who looked at me slightly suspiciously.
Flora's knitwear is colourful and fun, but there is also a strong sense of purpose to her work. She considers sustainability and the environment at every step of the process, as well as valuing the people and skills that are part of it. Something that can be tricky when everyone wants something at a cheap price and particularly in the world of fashion.
However the time it takes to create (seven different processes for each scarf) the attention to detail and the way her pieces transcend seasonal trends, mean that if you are lucky enough to own something Flora has made, you will have something that you will treasure for many, many years.
As well as capturing the different process of making the knitwear, we walked around the Eildon Hills with Leni jumping around the wild flowers and me lurking around with various bits of equipment. It was probably the hottest day of the year in Scotland and not the best time to be wearing an entire knitwear collection, but the weather soon changed to a downpour / storm and we had to shelter under a massive tree. We made it back to the car, me happy with the beautiful light the storm had helped out with and headed home for another lovely dinner ft. a large amount of wine.
Check out the film below and the gems that are Flora and Leni!